Oxygen is the most common element in the world, amounting to 53.8% of the total amount of all elements, and occupying about 21% of dry air. Most animals take in oxygen in order to acquire energy. Oxygen, although absolutely necessary for the life of almost all living beings, can be fatal present above toxicity levels. These Janus-like properties of oxygen depend on its molecular states. Ground state triplet oxygen, which is the most stable oxygen molecule, is responsible for the maintenance of life. Converted from the stable oxygen molecule by various physical, chemical and environmental factors, including enzymatic systems, reductive metabolism, chemicals, pollutants, photochemical reactions, etc., reactive oxygen species (ROS), a kind of highly reactive free radicals, such as superoxide radicals, (O2), hydroxyl radicals (HO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and singlet oxygen (½O2), causes serious diseases in the body. For example, ROS are likely to react with and destroy cellular constituents, such as lipids, proteins, sugars, nucleic acids, causing aging and various diseases including brain diseases, such as apoplexy, Parkinson's disease, etc., cardiovascular diseases, such as heart diseases, ischemia, arteriosclerosis, etc., dermal diseases, inflammation, rheumatism, and autoimmune diseases. Also, upon lipid peroxidation, lipid peroxides are accumulated to cause the oxidative destruction of cells, causing cells to malfunction. Particularly, the intake of oxidative chemicals, such as drugs, poisons, alcohols, etc., causes oxidation in the body, injuring the liver, and in severe cases, can lead to cirrhosis of the liver.
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body and plays a major role in metabolism. It has a number of functions in the body including drug detoxification, glycogen storage, and plasma protein synthesis. Also, as much as about 90% of blood proteins are produced in the liver. In addition, the liver functions to detoxify toxic chemicals and acts as an immune organ. Various drugs and hazardous materials are converted into less hazardous ones, which are secreted out of the body through urine or bile. Particularly, Kupffer cells, specialized macrophages located in the liver, function to remove from the blood any particulate contaminants that happen to be present, such as bacteria, toxins, or foreign substances.
The liver has the remarkable capacity to completely regenerate after injury. In fact, even after up to 75% partial hepatectomy, the liver restores its full functionality and size within 4-6 months.
However, the responsibility of the liver for such various and important functions also suggests that when the liver is not healthy, many significant problems occur.
According to the pathogenic cause, liver diseases may be divided: viral liver diseases are caused due to viral infection, alcoholic liver diseases due to excessive alcohol intake, toxic liver diseases due to drugs, steatic hepatitis due to fat accumulation, autoimmune liver diseases due to the abnormality of the immune system, and metabolic liver diseases due to the excessive accumulation of toxic materials.
One of the most rampant chronic liver diseases is caused by hepatitis B virus while hepatitis C intends to be widely spread. In addition, the outbreak of alcohol-induced liver diseases, although lower than that of viral liver diseases, has been significantly increased with habitual drinking.
Alcoholic liver diseases are largely classified into steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis according to clinicopathologic finding. Alcoholic steatosis is found in 90-100% of habitual drinkers. It is also known that between 10% and 35% and between 8% and 20% of habitual drinkers have alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis, respectively.
Alcohol is absorbed mainly in the digestive tract, and 90% of the absorbed alcohol is metabolized in the liver while the remaining 10% is discharged via expiration, urine and perspiration. Alcohol, after being transported along with blood, is oxidized to acetaldehyde by various liver enzymes, such as alcohol dehydrogenase, a microsomal ethanol oxidizing system, catalase, etc., which is further enzymatically oxidized to acetic acid, which is harmless to the body. Meanwhile, alcohol is readily metabolized to acetaldehyde by enteric microorganisms. Recently, lactic acid bacteria in the intestine have been reported to convert ethanol into acetaldehyde and further to acetic acid, thereby suppressing the absorption of alcohol and acetaldehyde, with the concomitant hepatoprotective activity. However, not all lactic acid bacteria have such a function. Therefore, there is a need for developing the lactic acid bacteria that functions to prevent the absorption of alcohol and acetaldehyde and protect the liver. It is important that the lactic acid bacteria to be developed settle and multiply in the intestine. Particularly, lactic acid bacteria to be developed for use in humans must originate from humans because of their high host-specificity.
Acetaldehyde, a toxic product resulting from the breakdown of alcohol by alcohol dehydrogenase, is marked as a main factor causing liver damage. This metabolite of alcohol is highly reactive enough to readily associate with proteins, thereby decreasing enzyme activity. Also, acetaldehyde stimulates hepatic lipid peroxidation, which leads to damage to hepatic mitochondria and the depletion of glutathione, pyridoxine, vitamin A, zinc, and selenium, and determines a decrease in the ability of purified tubulin to polymerize, inhibiting protein secretion and transport. In addition, the production of free radicals by acetaldehyde activates the synthesis of collagen and is reported to cause liver fibrogenesis (cirrhosis) in habitual drinkers.
Hepatoprotective compositions or products comprising suppressing or stimulating agents of alcohol metabolism or alcohol dehydrogenases have been developed and commercialized. For example, a medicinal composition with hepatoprotective activity and liver disease-curing activity is disclosed in Korean Pat. No. 0178696, an herbal medicinal beverage for curing hangovers and improving liver functions and the preparation thereof in Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-0050333, a functional food for curing hangovers and the preparation thereof using a mixed extract from the Japanese raisin tree, the Alder tree, and arrowroot in Korean Pat. No. 0345798, an agent for enhancing alcohol metabolism and relieving abnormal liver function in Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-0021980, a hangover-curing and hepatoprotective composition comprising an alcohol absorption inhibitor in Korean Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-0004193, and a health food based on extracts from a Japanese raisin tree and an Alder tree in Korean Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-0005127.
In addition, a lower alcohol-insoluble extract from young Korean raisin tree stems, a polysaccharide material prepared there from, and a composition containing the same with the activity of relieving hepatotoxicity, hangover, and fatigue are disclosed in Korean Pat. No. 0403720; a lower alcohol-insoluble extract fraction from Japanese raisin trees, a polysaccharide material prepared there from, and a composition containing the same and having activity of relieving hepatotoxicity and hangovers in Korean Pat. No. 0403721; a lower alcohol-insoluble extract from the xylem of Korean raisin trees, a polysaccharide prepared there from, and a composition containing the same and having hepatoprotective activity in Korean Pat. No. 0403722; and a hangover-curing agent and a composition based on the same in Korean Pat. Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-0052930. All of these patents aim to cure hangovers occurring upon excessive drinking rather than to protect or improve liver function as a precautionary measure.
Thus far, nowhere has been mentioned a composition having hepatostimulant, hepatoprotective and hepatogenerative activity, based on Lactobacillus brevis HY7401, Lactobacillus fermentum CS332, Lactobacillus acidophilus CSG, Bifidobacterium longum HY8001, an Alder tree extract, a Selfheal extract, a milk thistle extract, a green bean-rice bran fermentation extract, a turnip extract, a tomato extract, a broccoli extract, a pineapple extract, a colostrum powder, betaine, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C and E.